Navy Awards Nearly $100M for China Lake After Quakes

Construction will include electrical, telecommunications, intrusion detection systems, roadway and apron paving, a bridge crane and positive drainage for the new magazines and storage facility.

Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Southwest on April 14 awarded a $99.8 million task order for the design and construction of 25 new ordnance magazines and an inert storage facility at Naval Air Weapons Station, China Lake, Calif., according to NAVFAC Southwest public affairs.

Last July, two major earthquakes struck the China Lake area. The task order will fund the demolition of an inert storage facility and 32 critically damaged magazines and design and construct 25 new modern magazines as well as an inert storage facility.

Construction will include electrical, telecommunications, intrusion detection systems, roadway and apron paving, a bridge crane and positive drainage for the new magazines and storage facility.

The task order is part of a multiple award construction contract. The awardee, Reyes Construction of Pomona, California, was one of multiple companies to submit proposals.

"This is the first major new construction project awarded in support of the NAWS China Lake earthquake recovery effort and is an important part of restoring the installation to its full operational capability," said Capt. Mike Oestereicher, commanding officer of NAVFAC Southwest.

"Mission-critical operations and RDT&E support to the fleet were adversely impacted by the damaged magazines, with ordnance being jam-stowed in the handful of remaining adequate magazines or shipped off-base to other sites," Oestereicher said. "This project will restore that lost capability and help bring NAWS China Lake back up to full readiness."

"Award of this project in such a short time represents a tremendous team effort with support from a myriad of stakeholders and support organizations," said Cmdr. Dan Stokes, NAVFAC Southwest assistant operations officer.

"We are eager to move forward into the construction phase to help restore full mission capability to the base and to provide support to the fleet."

NAWS China Lake is in the western Mojave Desert region of Calif., about 150 mi. north of Los Angeles. China Lake's mission is to support the Navy's research, testing and evaluation missions to provide cutting-edge weapons systems to the warfighter.

The installation is the Navy's largest single landholding. In total, its two ranges and main site cover more than 1.1 million acres, an area larger than Rhode Island.

"This critical investment will bring our weapons storage capability into the modern era and will support testing programs for current and future weapons systems," said Capt. Jason Sherman, Navy Munitions Command Pacific, CONUS West Division commander and Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach commanding officer. "Importantly at China Lake, these new magazines will be seismically rated to modern standards for increased environmental resiliency."

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